As you can see, henna mix with lashings of coconutoil applied. Eyelashes & eyebrows tinted to avoid that enkempt washed out look.

Have to make a bit of effort once you’re over 40 – esp if you’re a hippie & red hair & Lush tinted lipbalm is your only concession to daily “maintenance”! (I’m very sparing when it comes to make up and hairstyling. But like to consider it more a boho chic choice! Important to be proactive about your inactivity…otherwise it is just laziness!)

Other natural beauty tips: seven hours sleep a day (I’m nocturnal), drink Apple Cider Vinegar (tastier than it sounds) – and green drink powder to keep a healthy alkaline diet even if you’re busy or your appetite’s low. Keep good habits and it shows in your health on all levels.

My appetite seems non existent this week but that usually happens if I’m getting more exercise or the weather’s changing – Apple Cider Vinegar is my genius back up to normalise my appetite! But so I keep healthy, I always make sure I keep a supply of green drink in…packed with powdered green veggies and grasses and high nutrition.

It’s been a bad month for bad food choices. If like me, you are liable to lose your appetite, I think understanding your body needs a rest from digestion sometimes is important. Otherwise you risk “emergency fast food eating” because you mostly don’t feel hungry and when you do, you want to eat before your appetite wears off. I honestly don’t know how many times me and my Teddy Boy have eaten pizza this month…definitely too many.

Non vegan foods send my digestion whacky. Cheese is just “yellow lard” to me – I don’t seem to enjoy it much…so pizza is silly fast food. I can get spicy rice noodles from my local takeaway if I really fancy being thirsty from the salt overdose. But he currently favours pizza so we’ve both eaten junk :s

Anyway, for lazy but healthy eaters, I recommend keeping a good supply of noodles, shirataki and brown rice with tons of v fast food vegan sauces always in the house. Pistachio nuts too. Healthy snacks. But with good sauces and noodles/rice, I can make a giant and healthy meal far quicker than Dominoes can deliver an unhealthy salty, fatty one!

Spider has been a useful test subject for my green drink – he prefers to healthy. Also, he’s used to me smelling of henna…which smells like you’ve lying in the grass on a drizzly day. I like the smell but it’s quite strong and some people try to disguise it with essential oils in their henna mix. Because he likes the smell of my henna, I thought maybe he would enjoy the green drink – lots of people complain it’s like drinking muddy water. Or that it doesn’t really taste of anything but looks like muddy water! Some people actually blanch at the idea of adding vinegar to it (Apple Cider Vinegar doesn’t taste like vinegar). So despite the appearance of it, he tried it, was amazed, and converted. He’s buying green drink powder for himself after I made him up half a dozen bottles with tinctures and drops to fight his cold.

A week or so ago he had a really stinking cold – the kind with a cough that stops you sleeping. So he definitely needed it.

I increased my apple cider vinegar intake because of its alkaline benefits, to prevent me catching it. I also added propolis drops, chlorophyll (no to be confused with chloroform!), echinacea drops & colloidal silver drops. How would that help? How would an alkaline drink stop me getting a cold?

Well, if you stay alkaline, you don’t get colds. The virus can’t live in an alkaline environment. The same goes for many bugs. You also can avoid a lot of serious health problems with an alkaline diet: Higher alkalinity reduces inflammation generally in the body. Which means it can help you to avoid some major diseases that seem to be either caused or exacerbated by our very acidic western diet.

It’s not only diet that creates an excessively acidic system either. Stress and exercise can do that too. I work out a lot (rebounding, ballet, hiphop & latin) – daily and intensively sometimes (you’d be surprised how intensive ballet is!), so to neutralise acid formation, its important for me to keep alkaline as much as poss if I don’t wanna compromise my immune system function. It’s also great for your complexion. Good health definitely shows in the body…as does bad health.

A vegan diet is usually (as long as it’s essentially a plant based vegan diet, not a vodka and oreos vegan diet!) naturally alkalising. And that carries massive health benefits.

It does mean avoiding fat from animal sources especially though. Animal protein literally decomposes in your digestive system – decomposition isn’t the same as digestion. It means toxic yuckiness can build up. And that applies to white meat meat as well as red. The toxins produced by the decomposition of meat in your body increases the risk of gastrointestinal cancers. On top of the other problems associated with meat – the hormones in it, the acidity of it etc.

Also, avoiding sugar and refined carbs; avoiding alcohol and stimulants like tea or coffee – these are simple ways to make your diet more alkaline. I naturally do these things most of the time, so it’s not a radical diet change for me but for some people it would be and Green Drink may be a very simple way of alkalising or starting to make positive changes.

When the blood is overly acidic we tend to carry fat to store acidic “toxins” in as emergency precaution by the body. But our body has a limited capacity to do this. In addition, the body coats the arteries with plaque deposits to protect them from acidic blood. This is what atherosclerosis is and on a Western diet, it is the root of most death and disability…we consider it an “age related” condition. But it’s actually predominantly a lifestyle consequence that’s totally avoidable! We begin to show damage in our arteries in early childhood.

In the West we also have problems with brittle bones as we age and that’s another consequence of diet…the body leeches minerals from the bones to try to neutralise the acidic state. So we shrink. We get joint pain. Even the bones in our faces shrink by this process, making us age prematurely from the inside out.

I really recommend the work of NutritionFacts.Org to anyone who would like to know more and see the evidence – the clinical trials and the suppression of the problems with certain food groups that have been documented for decades

Naturally, I didn’t catch his cold! But the benefits of keeping your diet and lifestyle healthy could be the key to preserving your looks…as well as your health span and life span ♡

If you think changing your diet is a radical option, think about how radical heart bypass surgery would be…when it comes to weighing up the pros and cons, I don’t personally think any food tastes so good I would risk a stroke or congestive heart failure in order to keep eating it.

I thought I would do a blog about hair growing basics. By trial and error I have found a lot out about the best and worst things I can do for my own hair. And hopefully some of this information will be helpful to others. So this is a haircare tips blog specifically relating to colouring and growing your hair.

I will punctuate it with some photos. I’ve wandered thru the flat trying to find good lighting to get a photo of my freshly hennaed hair…it’s not easy! Of a dozen locations I think only two give any idea of my hair colour…with moodlights and fairylights everywhere it’s easy to get cool selfies in here…not easy to get ones of hair colour though. Also, henna really looks different in different light. In artificial light it can look bright red, in candlelight almost black – and in daylight somewhere in the middle. (Though being a nocturnal hermit type, no one sees it very much in daylight!)

Will post up some through this blog though so you get an idea can see how well conditioned my henna mix leaves my hair…and how it looks if left to dry naturally. Kind of wavy. V hippie, boho, preraphaelite – just how I like it!

In my henna mix…150g henna (my hair is v thick. Most people would only need to use 100g tops for hair my length). Two table spoons of sun in (the peroxide makes the henna stain v deep – I don’t use it every time but found lemon juice, which is used for the same, dried my hair badly but the tiny amount of peroxide in sun in didn’t. I would not recommend it to everyone but it works for me!). Two tablespoons of coconut oil. This moisturises and conditions and also makes it much easier to rinse the henna.

Henna is a powder and the mix is like making runny mud and covering your head in it. Then in plastic. Then a towel. Then leave it for 6 hours before washing it out. The henna makes your head v heavy so I tend to apply it to sections and wind them around each other at the front of my head (like my marie antoinette up do for curls in another blog; picture below shows the effect immediately after untwisting the antoinette up do – it settles down into waves and curls…v big hair!).

Some people complain that henna is so permanent. But that’s a good thing for me!

Some get purple or blueish tones if they over henna…I think mine is less prone to that because of the sun in used in my mix and also there a big sections of white hair now…the front right of my hair is totally white and you can see it is much more orange than the rest after henna! So over time mine is liable to become more yellowy red/orange and less bluey red because there will be more white.

It does mean I have to my roots regularly though…white roots with red hair makes it look like your hair fell out if you leave them! White or grey hair is a “cold” colour and contrasts with red very noticeably. Some people say their grey hair doesn’t take dye or henna at all. To them, I would recommend testing different acidic additions in their mix – wine, lemon juice etc – because that may help. If you’re not anti peroxide, you could also try my sun in mix but do be careful…some people’s hair reacts badly to peroxide – do proper strand tests before you use it all over your head!

Sometimes people report their hair changes texture – I am not really sure if mine has but it’s pretty strong and it’s had white bits that have spread since I was 15. But certainly post menopause women’s hair texture tends to change and you may need to adapt the way you care for it.

I am 42 now and for a long time I had very long hair – long enough to sit on – I never trimmed it but I never got split ends. I did henna it though and that improves the condition of your hair. The worst thing that ever happened to my hair was using serums and high performance conditioners. These eventually led to me cutting my hair shorter and shorter because I didn’t know why it was getting frizzy at the ends. The reason was…silicone. Some people can use it. Some can use it occasionally. I can’t use it at all. Silicone makes your hair look and feel softer by literally coating it. But that coating doesn’t necessarily come off with shampoo. And if it doesn’t, it essentially waterproofs your hair and you can’t moisturise or deep condition it. Look out for “cones” in your skincare products too. They can have a similar effect on your skin!

One thing I would mention though is that if you are growing your hair (and I am), when it reaches the length mine is now, it’s best to wear it up because the friction of the ends on your clothes can cause breakage and leave some people thinking their hair simply won’t grow past shoulder length. It gets easier to protect the longer it gets. When you can plait it or put it up v quickly with a stick, it’s a lot easier to manage than short hair.

Another problem can be friction from your pillow. Silk pillows will prevent that (also better for your face!) – but finding a comfortable way of wearing your hair in bed is a good idea. A very high pony tail that you plait is a good one – or two high pony tails because the weight of your hair needs to be distributed well so it doesn’t pull. If you wear tight pony tails you can actually end up with the hair thinning because it’s being pulled out. But what’s comfortable will vary depending on the position you sleep in. For example – if you sleep on your back two braids might be better. If your hair is heavy, a french plait might prevent pulling. I used to pull my bed 6″ from the wall and sleep with my hair hanging off the bed behind my pillow! My cat used to hide under the bed and play with it sometimes…that’s probably not good for your hair!

My plans for growing my hair out mean I use cone free products (Lush Rehab shampoo…and Lush conditioners – American Cream (contains lanolin), Veganese, Jungle or Happy Happy Joy Joy depending on how my hair is). Henna it and deep condition with coconut oil fortnightly. Have a silk pillow. Don’t use heat or styling products on it. Wear it up most of the time and especially if outside (sun, rain, wind…all can take a toll) or exercising.

So far, without any trims…it’s grown half an inch a month and has no split ends…and that’s after cutting it short 18 months ago. This meant none or my hair had been bleached, dyed or exposed to silicone…so I have a better idea of how my hair respond to being grown out. I have wrecked my hair several times from bleaching it too often and not knowing the perils of silicone and friction damage. We’ll see how it goes!

Mood lighting egg set to mirror the colour of my #Lush #BathBomb! Having a long soak. Hair washed with #Rehab & #AmericanCream.

#TeddyBoy coming round for a #vegan dinner of #couscous, grilled veggies & #salsa. One #spell to complete later & the Killing Moon #Karmic Reversal b4 bed (www.mayamagickal.net). And newsletter to send 4 www.mayastar.net too. So I will chillin’ till about 1am & then do my work. The #Tantric #Shamanic #Ritual were choreographed more than written. Most include #mantras & sometimes the #mantra part is adapted for a specific client’s goal. But the longer I work with them, the more the dance flows. Originally I had looped percussion/drumming cd I used but now the feel of the dance has become so much second nature that I feel it without any background sound. It’s really magickal. I was reflecting today that because I am a dancer and because of my epilepsy (meaning I don’t use the usual basic methods for #firemagic or #candlemagic), I have developed a way of working that uses my unique qualities to a more powerful effect than if I had followed the “painting by numbers” approach to #spellcrafting. It’s allowed me to be more eclectic in some ways but it’s also meant I couldn’t just learn to read by rote…so my feel for #magick (and #energyhealing) has been heightened by it. It’s a good example of how an apparent #disability may turn out to be an extra ability if you don’t get hung up on being different! I think my #autism (#aspergers) means I don’t get hung up by nature. It’s definitely a blessing when it comes to magick to be able to observe and unravel the mess of #karma that magick (used properly!) can tweak and resolve. I seem to get more and more referrals from happy customers for magickal work over time which is always good as far as feedback goes!

#TeddyBoy due for dinner but I’m going to get an early one as my sis over 2mw for a #vegan #Starbucks breakfast/lunch. So wowed by #soy #macchiato that I wonder why I didn’t go vegan earlier!

Spider (my #TeddyBoy) is the sweetest – paying for my lunch! He has old fashioned values and some people might find that a bit objectionable b/c political correctness def not his strong suit! But he is the most hard working, kindest & most considerate bf I’ve ever had. And I’m being objective when I say that. He really is. And far from being objectionable, I find it refreshing to be w/ someone like him. Gorgeous admittedly and build like a bouncer! But always encouraging me in my work and helping me in practical ways as well as being a romantic.

I met him through my dad really…I think my dad was playing matchmaker right up to the end (dad died last year of a brain tumour). It’s the strangest thing to think on last year…dad was dying but we had the greatest fun jamming in the garden and me doing my fave #carnival and #hiphop fusion in the garden. And Spider lives two doors down and would watch me dance and chat w/ me and dad. He always has my back and was really supportive through everything. And I fell for him but was always a bit worried it was circumstances that had thrown us together and it might not last. I was v honest a about that b/c I would hate to hurt him. But we spent Christmas together…and now it’s nearly valentine’s day and we’re still both deeply smitten!

So thinking of last year…losing dad was terrible…but me & Spider…I’ve never been so happy!

So shout out to dad! I don’t know if he made an angel when he arrived the other side, but he was a fantastic #cupid right up to the end! Massive love 🙂

Oooh…looks like I’ve opened another #portal into a #bathbomb epic! I do my best #thinking, #reading, #preening, #singing, #planning & #meditation in baths I think! I’m a “#bubblebath #philosopher”…or a typical #pagan/#witch where normal day to day routines become kind of special in their own unique ways.

Running l8 today. Ritual work for http://www.mayamagickal.net scheduled for later but I was dragging my heels (mentally not physically) while I worked out today as I got into a deep contemplation about the #Roman #God #Janus…#lifeanddeath…and the fluid nature of human consciousness…from our highest abstraction abilities (objective nature) to our #narcissistic qualities which I would consider our level of #egomania. We tend to categorise people based on their apparent emotional maturity. And we tend to judge that as the prevalence of their ego expression (subjective nature).

People tend to work towards a balance and over time will attempt to consciously move to a more objective and less selfish view. But some people really struggle with that. Whereas my #autism means, if I let my self awareness and self discipline have free reign I am at risk of seeing reality so objectively that I almost abstract myself out of existence! I know some people consider #highfunctioningautism (I am #Aspergers) as being a sign of a more advanced mind…an #oldsoul…a #starseed etc. But seriously, although it comes with many blessings, my tendency to hyper abstraction makes me great at #magick…it definitely makes me good at what I do. But if I didn’t surround myself with people who are more anchored and practical, I think it’s possible I could fly off into an inner life so rich I stopped noticing how beautiful and important manifest, external reality is. I don’t know if I really could allow that to happen…I think I would be aware of it and take steps to prevent it! But I expect it seems an unusual consideration in life to most people. Makes me sound like a crazy #hippie #mystic…

My #teddyboy is out 2nite so I got up l8, did a #ballet #barre & then some #latin #hiphop fusion…ending w/ some loooong relaxing stretches (#yoga poses held for 4 minutes at a time mostly!). Before I get my admin work up to date & update the www.mayastar.net special offers, am indulging (predictably) in a #lushcosmetics bath. Made possible w/ the combination of the #butterball #BathBomb, #fun & super moisturising #sympathyfortheskin…until my #crueltyfree #stoptober which saw me using tons of #lush I thought I had dry skin. I assumed…well, I’m 43, maybe it’s hormonal etc. In retrospect I can’t be sure what cured it…stopping using chemical moisturiser & industrial cleansers? Going #vegan? Or going #dairyfree? As these things happened so close together I can’t be certain. But I can be certain that emerging from the cornucopia of “stuff I tried”…yellow fun, bath bombs & bubble bars & lush body lotions don’t give me rashes or dry skin…they smell…well…LUSH…and I don’t want to “try” anything else.

There were a few downsides…I #henna my hair but lush #cacarouge was so awful in texture, I abandoned that one. I tried two of their face moisturisers and in a month had spots. I tried Oz Naturals #superyouth but it didn’t help. And after 6 weeks I went back to my trusty regime of Johnson’s #CleanandClear non foaming cleanser with salicylic acid, #oznaturals #hyalauronicacid serum & #CremedelaMer. Within days my face was back go normal. And b/c I am too lazy to wear make up, I kind of rely on decent products keeping my complexion so good that I don’t need it.

Anyway..chillin’ in a loooong bath & listening to music before I begin work & thought this creepy ghost leg picture was cool. I guess the water is milky from the yellow fun I washed with & the flash on my mobile bounced off it making it look well spooky…especially my super long toes that look like fingers creeping out of the water. I have weird #feet. People tend to describe them as delicate because they are kind of bony, my ankles are tiny & my toes are long. My #hypermobility means I have always used my feet as extra hands…picking things up and opening doors with them! Apparently the hypermobility is a common physiological trait that goes along with my #autism (#aspergers – so many perks…big brain and super feet!)

Crazy though eh??? Def has something #ghostly and #gothic about it. Spooky bath…but sooooo good for your skin! 😀

Up w/ the lark! (Well…lunchtime – early for #nocturnal). Woke early, but usefully, at midday – so I’ll be having a #vegan Starbucks lunch w/ my brother b4 a #Supernatural catch up.

Then The Killing Moon Karmic Reversal 30 Day Ritual Intensive opening 2nite – quite a long one but I love it! If u want to be inc in the 50% gift price option, there are still spaces but only 12 hrs left – single & triple options available – www.mayastar.net/special.htm for details!

Also…fab #LushCosmetics #haul yesterday I’m gonna have to blog about…have some new faves & since #crueltyfree #stoptober I have continued using Yellow Fun, #rosargan & #sympathyfortheskin because they kept me totally dry skin free even thru the minus zeros this winter. That’s pretty amazing!